Senator Joni Ernst requested the investigation after Miles was found dead in Water Works Park in February. The Office of Inspector General reviewed allegations regarding poor mental health care resulting in a Miles’ death at the VA Central Iowa Health Care System in Des Moines.

The Office of Healthcare Inspections reported that they found no documentation that Miles had requested long term mental health services or that his clinical condition would have warranted admission at that time.

“The facility appeared to be substantially in compliance with its policy regarding time frames for consult completion. The patient did not experience a delay in obtaining mental health services, as he had not requested these services in the 2 years prior to his winter 2015 Emergency Department visit,” the report states.

Miles was not contacted by the local recovery coordinator because his name did not appear on the list of seriously mentally ill patients. Only patients diagnosed with schizophrenia, bipolar disorder or psychoses are considered seriously mentally ill. Miles, however, had anxiety, depression and post-traumatic stress disorder but had never been diagnosed as seriously mentally ill.

Just last week Ernst told Channel 13 that she was still awaiting the results. Ernst said the report should have been a simple process and expected the results by April. The VA IG pushed it back to May.

“My staff reached out again this week and as of this morning, I still have no results from that investigation. It is frustrating, disappointing and unacceptable that this have taken so long,” said Ernst last Wednesday.

In the report, the Office of Healthcare Inspections made two recommendations, according to the report:

1. We recommended that the Interim Under Secretary for Health determine the feasibility and advisability of expanding recovery coordination activities to patients with post-traumatic stress disorder.